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Sleep and Insomnia Cronulla Acupuncture

For many people, the thought of a good night’s sleep seems elusive. Whether it is caused from stress, irregular sleeping habits, too much screen time, hormonal changes, etc, the consequences on our day-to-day lives are overwhelming.

What is insomnia?

At some point in time, most people suffer from insomnia. Insomnia occurs when one has problems falling asleep, staying asleep, or wake up during the night and can not go back to sleep. Usually there is daytime lethargy as a result of poor sleep habits, which can also lead to low mood.

Insomnia can last anywhere from a few weeks to being chronic.

How does Chinese Medicine view insomnia?

Chinese medicine believes that the heart houses the spirit in the human being. In order for a good night’s sleep, it is important to House the Spirit and put it to sleep at night. The Spirit or Shen in Chinese Medicine is housed in the Heart Organ system. Difficulties sleeping are seen as imbalances of the heart.

The Heart may be out of balance for one of the following reasons:

Heart Is Not Nourished

The Heart may not be nourished by yin and blood. A flourishing garden bed requires good nutrients, and oxygenation in order to grow and be fruitful. Consider eating fruits and vegetables which assist in building both yin and blood

Overstimulation and heat causing agitation of heart

Improper lifestyle choices, including wrong food choices, too much physical activity, drugs and alcohol, over mental stimulation and emotional trauma, cause heat to aggravate the heart. The heart in its thriving state abhors too much heat, and can not settle leading to insomnia. If this is your case, then take the appropriate actions to reduce excess stimulants. Consider taking time to meditate which calms the Shen.

Constraint of the heart by qi, blood and phlegm

Long term negative emotional patterns, lack of qi and blood, not enough exercise, of excesses in toxins can cause qi, blood , and phlegm to stagnate. Just like a drainage pipe needs to be cleared every now and then, so too does the inner workings of the body. Consider a good detox, some exercise or breath work to calm and relax the mind. A good diet is also essential, as is the ability to assimilate nutrition.

Here are some other things to do that may improve your quality of sleep :-

1. Avoid screen time before going to bed – blue light emitted from phones, and devices may disrupt the body’s serotonin levels.

2. Avoid eating or drinking just prior to sleep – drinking before bed increases your chances of needing to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Eating prior to sleeping forces the digestive system into action, and may cause discomfort preventing you from proper sleep.

3. Dim the lights in your house, and use lighting as close as possible to natural light (i.e. not fluorescent). The pineal gland needs to know it’s getting late and time to go to sleep. Way back in our ancestors times, there was no artificial lighting, and so the body naturally knew it was time for bed when the Sun went down.

4. Cool the room temperature to roughly 18C.

5. Encourage regular sleep time - establish a good biorhythm for the body by having regular waking and sleep times.

Sutherland Shire IVF Acupuncture

Many women contact our Sutherland Shire IVF Acupuncture rooms with inquiries about receiving acupuncture as an adjunct to their IVF or IUI experience. The practise has become so popular that there are several IVF acupuncture clinics situated in close proximity to fertility centres such as IVF Australia. In this post we hope to keep you informed how you can get the most out of your visit.

Women may chose to have acupuncture in the lead up to IVF transfer or, simply before and after the IVF transfer of the embryo.

Information to bring to our Sutherland Shire IVF acupuncture rooms

If you are having acupuncture in the lead up to IVF, be sure to know what your cycle is doing so that you can consult with an acupuncturist. The little details such as frequency of menstrual cycle, colour of menstrual blood, and amount of bleeding are just some of the small details which may be used by the acupuncturist to determine your overall health. Your period is like a monthly report card, so if you visit our Sutherland Shire IVF acupuncture rooms please bring this information in with you!

Better still, if you have been doing a BBT chart (Body Basal Temperature chart), this information can be invaluable. This type of information gives your health professional, a good idea as to how the hormones, and time of ovulation are going, in order to support your cycle.

If you are having acupuncture for the day of the transfer, it is best to do it as close as possible to the time of transfer. Usually, acupuncture treatments occur both before and after the transfer, which is why so many clinics have popped up around major IVF centres.

Here at Pure Alchemy, we offer support for IVF treatments. For bookings and inquiries, please contact us..

Pain relief Cronulla acupuncture

Many people chose to use acupuncture for their pain relief as a primary or adjunct treatment at our Cronulla Acupuncture clinic. As we all know, pain is no laughing matter. Little things that are often overlooked in good health become major tasks. Imagine needing to organise your day-to-day activities around pain killers, and other management strategies. No one wants to live like that, and yet it is the reality of so many.

Pain comes in many forms, and can strike any part of the body. From headaches, lower back pain, period pain, joint pain, arthritic pain, digestive pain, migraines and so on.

How is pain treated?

Most commonly, and unless there is another serious disorder, pain is treated with opioids and non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). While this has been a life saver for many individuals, it is important to be wary of the potential for these drugs to form addictions or, cause organ damage if abused.

The Chinese Medicine Viewpoint

Chinese medicine sees pain as some sort of a restriction to qi and blood-flow, which can result from sudden trauma, as in a sporting injury or lifestyle or workplace habits which may create postural imbalances for instance. As a result, stagnation and or inflammation can occur. The aim of acupuncture is to clear the blockages to reduce the stagnation, so that the body can heal itself. This is done through inserting a fine and sterile needle into pathways of qi flow.

Think of meridians like a river. If there is sludge and rubbish in it, the water becomes murky and stagnates. When you remove the blockages, the river restores its normal function and begins to flow smoothly.

Other Management Strategies

Consider an anti-inflammatory diet including fresh fruit and vegetables. Reduce processed foods. Which tend to be highly inflammatory.

Make sure that you are not stressing any particular muscle group by being in alignment. Speak to your healthcare practitioners about body posture.

This is especially true if you have a repetitive job, or you sit in front of a computer. Consider strengthening core weaknesses, so that you use your body efficiently.

Get enough quality sleep and relaxation. Not only is this good for mental health, but it also assists the body to repair itself.

What to Expect

Everyone is different, and pain levels vary from “annoying” to “intolerable”. However, most people who visit our pain relief Cronulla acupuncture clinic usually come once to twice a week, and often for a few weeks.

If you are unsure of your condition, it is best to speak to your healthcare professional to see if acupuncture may assist your condition. Contact Pure Alchemy..